Shoregals drop Olmsted Falls in SWC sweep

The Olmsted Falls Lady Bulldogs volleyball team fell to Southwestern Conference powerhouse Avon Lake in three straight games last Thursday at Olmsted Falls High School.

Despite a valiant effort, Olmsted Falls (3-6 overall, 2-4 in SWC play) could not pull out wins in the first two games, both of which were closely contested throughout.

The first game saw Olmsted Falls lose the first three points before sophomore Kerri Gasper scored the team’s first kill. After that they fought back and forth with Avon Lake until giving up five straight points, four of which were aces by Avon Lake sophomore Katie Coughlin. They couldn’t close that gap, losing the first game 25-20.

The second game followed in mostly the same pattern, as it was hotly contested in the beginning. Freshman Katie Edgington kept the Bulldogs in the game, scoring three consecutive kills for Olmsted Falls.

In this game Olmsted Falls was the one to take a 5-0 run, which gave the Bulldogs a 15-10 lead. The Bulldogs managed to hold off Avon Lake until they were two points away from victory, when Avon Lake roared back with a 4-0 run to steal the second game.

Avon Lake’s comeback victory seemed to break Olmsted Falls’ spirit, as they lost game three 25-14.

“Avon Lake is strong, as they should be,” said Olmsted Falls head coach Dawn Moses. In order to improve, Moses says the girls must learn to not fear going up against older teams, a challenge they will face nearly every night given their youth.

“For two freshmen and two sophomores starting on the floor, (we’ve played) pretty good,” Moses said. “We just need more experience, and that will come with time.”